Rescuing the Doe
by katie.fictorie
Summary: "Lily," an all too familiar voice spoke in her ear, "Lily, take my hand." The woman complied. "Severus," the woman named Lily sighed. "Severus, it's him, it's the Dark Lord -" "Shh, shh, I know. Listen, you need to leave, now. Take the boy and -" Key Pairings: Severus/Lily, Harry/Ginny WARNING: Lots of James bashing ahead.


"Shh, Harry," she whispered, cradling the boy's small hands in her own, "Mama loves you. Dada loves you," She said, tears running down her cheeks. The shouting downstairs only got louder. Suddenly, she saw a flash of green light through the crack under the door. "No," she whispered, "no, please, not James."

She squeezed her eyes shut as she heard a faint pop. No doubt it was the Dark Lord, here to kill her and her baby boy. She was surprised to find that the green light did not come. Rather, a set of large, warm hands took hold of her and the crying child.

"Lily," an all too familiar voice spoke in her ear, "Lily, take my hand." The woman complied.

"Severus," the woman named Lily sighed. "Severus, it's him, it's the Dark Lord -"

"Shh, shh, I know. Listen, you need to leave, now. Take the boy and -"

The door burst open, and splinters of wood flew across the room. Severus stood up tall to face his master. "Ah, Severus," the Dark Lord said calmly, as if nothing had happened. Observing the scene in front of him, the man clicked his tongue. "Now, now, Severus," he said, "I knew you had a liking for the mudblood, but this," he laughed dryly, "this is just… pathetic. I suppose I'll just have to kill all three of you." He drew his wand. Severus drew his own wand, his other hand clasped to Lily's behind him. The Dark Lord began to speak the words of the killing curse. "Avada Kedavra!"

"NO!" Severus shouted, throwing a spell from his wand, knowing that it was hopeless.

Yet time seemed to slow, as the two spells collided in a flash of blinding white light. Severus was thrown backwards into Lily, who screamed. The light vanished as soon as it had appeared, and all was quiet. Lily looked towards where the Dark Lord had been standing. All that was left was a pile of black robes and a broken ivory wand. She turned back towards Severus' crumpled body. Gently setting Harry on the floor, she rolled Severus onto his back and noticed his skin had gone an even paler shade of white. "Severus?" Lily whispered, grasping his hand. "Severus, please wake up." She shook him gently, and pressed an ear to his chest. She could hear his heart, but only just.

Suddenly his eyes shot open and he gasped. "Severus!" Lily exclaimed. "Severus, are you alright?" Severus began to sit up slowly, dazed and confused and shocked. He looked at the woman beside him, her bright green eyes meeting his almost black ones.

"Lily," he whispered. He raised a hand to touch her cheek, but hesitated, as if scared. Lily tilted her head, resting it in his hand; it felt warm on her face. He was shocked at the movement.

"Thank you, Severus." She said. "Harry," She gasped, and whipped her head towards her son, who was crying. "Oh, Harry, it's alright, I'm here," she cooed, pulling the small boy into her arms. She brushed his dark hair away from his faced and gasped at the sight. On the boy's forehead, bright red and bleeding, was a cut in the shape of a lightning bolt. "Severus, what's happened to him?" She exclaimed, showing it to him.

"I…" he started, gently wiping the blood away with his thumb, "I don't know, it must have…" his words died away. Shaking his head and taking a deep breath, Severus helped Lily stand up. "We need to leave," he said, taking her hand, "we need to alert the Order." Lily closed her eyes tightly and clutched Harry to her chest as they apparated away.

They landed with a thud in a dark hallway. There was barely enough room for two adults to stand shoulder to shoulder. "Where are we?" Lily asked, taking a deep breath and looking Harry over to make sure he hadn't gotten splinched.

"Grimmauld Place." Severus said quietly, leading them to a sitting room. "Kreacher!" he snapped, and the house elf appeared. "Make some tea and bring us something to eat," he ordered. The elf muttered something and lumbered away towards the kitchen. Lily sat on the sofa with Harry still in her arms and was now staring, confused, at the scar on the boy's forehead. Harry had stopped crying and was now simply looking at his new surroundings. Severus sat down next to her, his back straight and his hands folded in his lap. Kreacher returned with the tea, and Severus thanked him with a curt nod.

"What are we going to do, Severus?" Lily asked.

"I don't know," he replied flatly, and then turned towards the boy. "May I?" he asked, reaching a hand towards them.

"Oh, yes, of course," Lily stuttered, handing the boy to Severus. Harry reached for Severus' long hair and laughed when the man grimaced. Lily giggled herself. "He likes you," she said, elbowing him gently.

"Yes, yes, I can see that," Severus said uncomfortably. When he finally managed to free his hair from the child's iron grip, he took a good, long look at him. "He looks so much like his father."

"James," Lily gasped, the memory of just minutes before flooding her mind. "He… James… killed James." Her face filled with horror as the realization set in.

Muffled pops were heard from the hallway and voices followed as two people entered the sitting room. "Severus," a plump, red-haired woman exclaimed, "Severus what's happened?"

Quickly Severus explained all that had happened at Godric's Hollow to her and the other man with her. "Take Harry upstairs, he can sleep in your bedroom," Severus said, handing the small boy to other woman. "Thank you, Molly," he added. Molly smiled and nodded and left with the small boy in tow, the other man following her. Severus returned to the sofa, where Lily was now staring at the floor, her hands twisted together.

"He killed James, Severus." Lily said, her voice cracking. Tears streaked down her face and she started sobbing hysterically. Severus gently gathered her in his arms and let her cry into his shoulder. He said nothing, simply rested his chin on the top of her head and closed his eyes. Soon she was asleep and Severus gently picked her up and carried her to one of the bedrooms upstairs. He laid her on the bed and covered her with a blanket. He was tempted to join her, but decided on the big, cushioned chair in the corner by the window. He stared at Lily's sleeping form, her shoulders rising and falling with each breath, and fell into a restless sleep, knowing that no one was safe yet.


End file.
